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Celebrating National Day on Writing with Students

As I posted yesterday, National Day on Writing was on Sunday, October 20th. I decided to celebrate with my students today. We spent the majority of our morning writing. We started off the day in the computer lab writing stories.

When we returned to the classroom, we compared upstanders to bystanders. Earlier in the year, I had read the book, The Recess Queen, by Alexis O’Neill. My students were able to understand the difference between upstanders and bystanders. So, I read the book, The Juice Box Bully, by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy. It’s a great story about how students help a new student acclimate to the class. They all make a promise to be helpful and respectful even when someone is making poor choices. My students wrote letters to the bully of the story giving him tips and advice on how to make the correct choices. I was happy that my writing was also tied in to our Red Ribbon Week celebration. During Red Ribbon Week we focus on having good character. Here’s a picture of my students writing their letters.

Finally, my students participated in a chalk talk protocol. It’s funny because we don’t use chalk and we don’t talk during this activity. Earlier in the day, I had a parent helper hang up ten pieces of chart paper that had a problem in the middle of it.

My students were able to write solutions to the problems on the chart paper. They were also able to comment on other students’ comments. My students completed this activity without any talking. We definitely used writing to connect with each other. After the activity, I debriefed with my students. They said they enjoyed this protocol. Everyone had a chance to share their ideas in a nonthreatening way. I will definitely do this activity again.

All in all I would say this was a very enjoyable National Day on Writing. I can’t wait for next year! However, I am going to remember to write to connect all year long. :)